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Water Security in the Himalayan Region: Navigating Opportunities for Joint Prosperity and Conflict Prevention High-Level Roundtable Dialogue Report December 2019

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By Farwa Aamer & Jace White

The Global Challenge rampant hydropower construction, haphazard industrial use and of Water Security unilateral diversion of watercourses.

Water scarcity and insecurity are With current This scenario is especially poised to become defining global challenges only pronounced in the lands abutting the issues in the 21st century. Two of set to worsen, Himalayan mountain range, the aptly the world’s economic powerhouses, designated “water tower of Asia,” and , demand increasing substantial progress from which flows the majority of the amounts of water and water-intensive must be made to continent’s great , including the products for agricultural, energy foster coherent, Indus, , Tsangpo-Brahmaputra and industrial purposes. As a result, and myriad smaller tributaries these and other countries are driven cooperative dialogue and streams. These systems to tap into shared water resources— between major flow from the peaks, plateaus and rivers, lakes and watersheds—that stakeholders defining glaciers of the to sustain flow across national borders, often an approximate 1.9 billion people, between competitive or adversarial the dynamics of nearly one fourth of the entire global neighbors. In the absence of Himalayan water population. However, rapidly growing cooperative resource management security—especially populations, sharply rising economic agreements, intensified zero-sum and agricultural demands and climate competition over increasingly scarce between China, India, change have greatly intensified water and strategic water resources will , Bangladesh stress throughout the Himalayan continue to exacerbate tensions region. between riparian neighbors. To date, and Nepal, the key efforts towards “hydrodiplomacy” players in Himalayan With current challenges only set to have largely been inadequate in hydropolitics. worsen, substantial progress must be addressing the widening gap between made to foster coherent, cooperative growing demand and dwindling dialogue between major stakeholders supply, and ineffectual in curbing defining the dynamics of Himalayan

2 www.eastwest.ngo Paula Bronstein /Getty Images water security—especially between and the rising demands of growing China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh populations. Meanwhile, per the and Nepal, the key players in United-Nations-proposed definition, Himalayan hydropolitics. To this water security is “the capacity of a end, consensus-driven, candid and population to safeguard sustainable multilateral dialogue is imperative access to adequate quantities to proactively mitigate the trends Water security of and acceptable quality water of conflict and competition in the ought not to be for sustaining livelihoods, human Himalayan region. considered a -being, and socio-economic development, for ensuring protection monolithic concept, Terminology against water-borne pollution and confined to national water-related disasters, and for The primary step toward engaging preserving ecosystems in a climate of borders, but peace and political stability.” international water security issues is grounded, localized clearly defining the often nebulous terminology—a key challenge present and specific to Importantly, water security ought in any multilateral discussion on the not to be considered a monolithic an international concept, confined solely to national subject. To this end, the dialogue river basin—the began with establishing working borders, but grounded, localized definitions of , water most accurate and specific to an international river security and hydrodiplomacy. basin—the most accurate level of level of analysis analysis of transboundary water of transboundary Water scarcity and security, while on issues. Examining each requires the surface two seemingly simple water issues. accounting for unique variables, from terms, proved a catalyst for much of the hydrological and climatic to the the ensuing discussion. Water scarcity ecological and socio-economic, to is defined as a condition arising from determine whether a basin is free an imbalance between scarce supply of scarcity and is secure in water resources. Water security and scarcity

www.eastwest.ngo 3 The concept of hydrodiplomacy must be separated from that of geopolitics; treating transboundary water resources as an inherent strategic element of geopolitics has historically proven to impede cooperative breakthroughs.

can assume a national, state and hydropolitical interactions an even cooperation vis-à-vis enabling more local character, extending even to the greater imperative. effective institutional architecture, household level. Special consideration namely bilateral and multilateral for the humanitarian aspect is Participants posited that while water sharing mechanisms and also essential, given that water environmental issues are indeed an agreements. These, in turn, promote scarcity most adversely impacts the element within geopolitical issues, technological and financial capacity livelihoods and living standards of the the question of hydrodiplomacy itself and confidence building in shared region’s population. should be studied in isolation from river basins. that of geopolitics as the latter has Recognizing that international the potential to misinform decision Water Resource cooperation and regional stability lie making. Rather, hydrodiplomacy at the crux of mitigating the impact and subsequent policy formulation Governance and of scarcity and consolidating water should be approached according Multi-Stakeholder security, hydrodiplomacy comprises to a more holistic view of each river the interaction between geopolitics basin, the relevant ecosystem and Partnerships and national sovereignty, as well the population in context. One expert as and collective action highlighted that regional cooperation Key to addressing water scarcity concerning the equitable allocation, on water resources has been a victim issues is the interplay between all the sustainable management and use of of an overall underinvestment in various actors and interests vested transboundary water resources. diplomacy in South Asian geopolitics. in the utilization of transboundary The absence of political will and the water resources. However, in pursuit of a working definition, participants Hydrodiplomacy bureaucratic of resource sharing agreements serve as key agreed that, at a basic level, these and Geopolitics obstacles towards transboundary stakeholders comprise the various cooperation. For example, although parties, ranging from policy makers Transboundary water resource often touted as a breakthrough in at the township, state and national politics is often dictated by power hydrodiplomacy, the Indus Waters levels to the private sector—and asymmetries and competition Treaty between India and Pakistan ideally households—all of which over scarce shared resources, still needs significant revisions—often generate demand for water resources which frequently leads to national constrained by bilateral disputes and and maintain an interest in a secure security concerns. Albeit water resistance to reform. supply. It was further emphasized that challenges alone have not been the fostering partnership opportunities sole motivation behind regional or A discussant argued that prior to among these disparate stakeholder international conflict, but against classifying the Himalayan region as entities and groups is crucial to the backdrop of the often tense “water scarce” it is important to first engendering the requisite governance geopolitical situation among the fully comprehend the concept of frameworks for effective action on countries of the Himalayan region, water scarcity. The discussant further regional water scarcity. In recognition water scarcity has become a highly elaborated that water scarcity is not of this, the experts agreed that securitized notion with the potential reflective of a country’s or region’s cooperative efforts must first address to exacerbate existing challenges and economic welfare and GDP growth, two key challenges: first, to identify instability. Moreover, the Himalayan rather it is contingent on the perennial stakeholders and incentivize them region’s accelerating population gap between the supply and demand to play an active part in multilateral growth coupled with rising climate of available water resources. The organizations and regional forums, change risks have made timely and real essence of hydrodiplomacy where multi-stakeholder partnership effective discussion on cross-border lies in fostering transboundary may be cultivated, and second, to determine how to best ensure

4 www.eastwest.ngo ecological and environmental discussant proposed greater cross- interests are accounted and border interactions among academics advocated for in stakeholder and civil society actors in particular, dialogues. with government representatives joining in a purely observational role. As mentioned above, experts agreed that gauging the variety of political Takeaways and economic systems in the region and the “facts on the ground” within Regional policymaking must each river basin would provide a increasingly prioritize hydrodiplomacy clearer picture as to the array of in order to best foster peace and local stakeholders and the corrective security among the key stakeholders actions that must be undertaken. in the Himalayan region. The following In order to deliver on governance highlights the key takeaways and goals, the panelists unanimously recommendations stemming from emphasized the need for a more the roundtable dialogue: multi-disciplinary approach to water security in the region. That • The concept of hydrodiplomacy is to say, regional dialogue must Engaging scientific must be separated from take into account the correlation perspectives that of geopolitics; treating between scientific understanding and improving transboundary water resources of the prevalent water scarcity as a strategic element of and its influence on the region’s access to and geopolitics has historically ecosystem, agriculture and social the availability proven to impede cooperative structure. Engaging scientific breakthroughs. perspectives and improving access of accurate to and the availability of accurate hydrological data • Scientific perspectives of multiple hydrological data for all concerned for all concerned disciplines—ranging from will enable more effective water will enable more hydrology to ecology—and the sharing as well as more adequate interaction between humanitarian planning of resources­ given the effective water and environmental factors must interdependencies among the food, sharing as well as be at the forefront of all future water and energy sectors. more adequate dialogues so as to provide a more holistic assessment of water In addition, one expert called for planning of food resource policy and governance. an often overlooked group to be included among stakeholders, namely and energy resources • Inter-governmental media representatives. Given that transboundary water resource the narratives surrounding water given the cooperation frameworks and security often lack factual grounding dialogues must invite greater and are rife with misinformation interdependencies among the food, participation from and interaction and sensationalism, media outlets between business leaders, media have an increasingly important role water and energy representatives, civil society in promoting responsible resource sectors. actors and local subsistence and governance. smallholder farmers.

The participants agreed that there • Discussion on water resource is no universal set of stakeholders governance must account for discussing transboundary water the crucial nature of the food- governance and that different river water-energy nexus, as the basins will necessitate a specific interdependencies between set of stakeholders. As to primary these three sectors are integral actions necessary to developing to the effective management and multi-stakeholder partnerships, one of water resources.

www.eastwest.ngo 5 About the Dialogue

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n October 21, 2019, the moderated by Dr. Peter Hefele, head Acknowledgements EastWest Institute (EWI), of the Asia and Pacific team of the Otogether with the Multinational Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS). EWI, with the support of its partners, Development Policy Dialogue of the will continue to mobilize and engage Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), Experts key experts, policy makers and convened a high-level roundtable stakeholders in timely and discreet dialogue in Brussels, concerning Dr. Nilanjan Ghosh, Director, dialogue on the most pressing international water security. Kolkata Chapter, Observer challenges of international water Research Foundation insecurity. The dialogue, the first in the Mr. Dipak Gyawali, former Minister project series, brought together of Water Resources of Nepal This inaugural EWI roundtable distinguished experts representing Mr. Ikram Sehgal, Chairman, dialogue on water security in the both the public and private sectors in Pathfinder Group; former Himalayan Region was made China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Chairman, Karachi Electric possible through the partnership Nepal and the European Union Ms. Carmen Marques Ruiz, Policy and generous support of the to assess the risks and threats Officer for Environment and Water, Multinational Policy Development to water security and gauge European External Action Service Dialogue of the Konrad-Adenauer- opportunities for future cooperation Dr. Hu Yuandong, former Chief Stiftung in Brussels, Belgium. between co-riparian states in the Representative, Investment and Himalayan region. The roundtable Technology Promotion Office for dialogue consisted of two panels: China, United Nations Industrial “Rethinking Hydrodiplomacy in Development Organization an Uncertain Geopolitical Future,” Dr. Jayanta Bandyopadhyay, moderated by Ms. Kitty Pilgrim, Visiting Distinguished Fellow, international journalist and former Observer Research Foundation CNN correspondent, and “Effective Dr. Khondaker Azharul Haq, Water Resource Governance through Chairperson, Global Water Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships,” Partnership

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